NATIONAL DANCE ARCHIVE OF NEW ZEALAND
NGA KAITIAKI TAONGA KANIKANI O AOTEAROA Report from the Chair 16 June 2022 Mistakenly thinking the worst was behind us last year, this year has been a bit of a step backwards in terms of COVID and its impact on us as a voluntary organisation. With the Delta variant we once again found ourselves in lockdown, restricted from meeting in person and carrying out activities we might have otherwise engaged in. Nevertheless, we have continued with our regular meetings every two months and we have still made some progress on several fronts. Trustees Our trustees remain the same this year: Geordan Wilcox in Auckland, Philippa Pidgeon in Christchurch, and the rest of the trustees based in Wellington – Peter Boyes, Kim Crawford, Debra Harris, Katherine Lancaster, Brigitte Knight, Keith McEwing and Sue Nicholls. With our meetings more often than not being held by Zoom now, having a national representation is a more feasible goal when we need to recruit more trustees. Oral Histories Subcommittee October saw us completing the oral history project A Dance Picture, made possible with NZ Lottery Grants Board funding that we received in November 2019. The project consists of four interviews—Jamie Bull, Shona McCullagh, Jenny Stevenson, and Carla van Zon—with Lyne Pringle as the interviewer. We are especially grateful to Lyne for all her efforts in making this project a reality and the time and effort that she put in gratis to help with accommodating our budget shortfall. Technology Subcommittee We are grateful to Brigitte for her expertise with the website and continuing to add new things to it. The analytics we receive tell us we average between 3-7 views per week. While that is small in terms of internet traffic, given that promotion to date has only been by word of mouth, that is not an insignificant amount. Plans to start a Facebook page next will continue to raise our online presence and lead people to the website. One possible thing to be thankful to COVID for is now we do not think twice about meeting by Zoom. It is nice to still meet in person when we can, however, and a special thank you here to Sue for hosting the December meeting at her house for a shared meal afterwards to round off the NDA calendar year. Archiving Resources Subcommittee The Archiving Resources team have probably been the most impacted by COVID with not being able to meet in person for a large portion of the last twelve months. Discussions of ideas of what can be included on the website have still been able to take place, however. News stories of profiling the four interviewees of our A Dance Picture oral history project has been informative and the posting of the Harry Baker cards very colourful and attractive. Sponsorship and Funding Subcommittee The sale of cards through the National Library shop continues to be our main income, which is not a lot! Plans to have a film evening at a cinema are in place once it seems viable to host such an event in a safe way. Other Matters The NDA continues to offer support to DANZ in whatever way it can. NDA is most appreciative of all the support DANZ has given it over the years so to finally be able to reciprocate in some small way such as writing letters of support, is the least we can do. There continues to be a need for coordinating and promoting the cultural, social and educational aspects of dance in New Zealand, and DANZ remains the best organisation to provide an overview for this despite its funding cuts. The Year Ahead As restrictions ease around COVID this will mean being able to carry on with some projects that were put on hold. We continue to look at what can be added to the website, and starting a Facebook page will also increase our online profile. I, personally, am looking forward to the film night, which, as well as helping our bank balance, will also help with our profile generally and a chance to tell more about the work we have been doing, not to mention directing them to the website and Facebook page. Conclusion Once again, I offer my sincere thanks to all the Trustees for the time you have volunteered to serving on the NDA committee this past twelve months. Thank you to our Treasurer, Carolyn McKeefry, not only for continuing to manage our accounts throughout the past year but also leading the charge as we transition from using cheques to internet banking. All in all, we should be pleased with what we have managed to achieve despite the exceptional circumstances and here is hoping we are able to continue moving forward with those matters as well as picking up some of the ideas that were temporarily put on hold in the new year. Keith McEwing Chairperson 15 June 2022
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